Not only are the ILNP multichromes stunning on their own, they also stamp really well!

ILNP Birefringence (H) over 1 coat Illamasqua Boosh

And here's a blurry sun pic to try to catch that (H)

ILNP Birefringence (H) over 1 coat Illamasqua Boosh

I stamped with a plate from the Bundle Monster create your own collection, BM-404.

Petrol is the only polish that even remotely piqued my interest from Butter London's Holiday 2013 offerings. Usually they come out with some real winners, but half the collection is repromotes. Anyway, onto what I think is the star of the collection.

3 coats, 2 coasts over 1 coat Illamasqua Boosh on pinky

Butter London Petrol is purple/blue duo. It is promoted as an overcoat, but it actually looks better on its own. Considering it only takes 3 coats for opacity, that's pretty great news. Over black, it loses that squishy look and some depth of color. I will try other combos soon, as I think it has potential to make some shades look awesome.



The formula was just okay. It applied pretty streaky, and I had some dragging at the cuticle. I needed two coats over the black because the first coat was too streaky to leave it that way. I prefer for my layering polishes to apply perfectly in one coat.



Petrol reminds me of Sally Hansen Grape Going, but I no longer have that to compare the two. Might be worth looking into if you're looking for a cheaper alternative.





Butter London Petrol retails for $15 and is available at Ulta.

It's a little unhealthy how much  I love Deborah Lippmann mini sets. There has yet to be a set I've been disappointed with, and the Starlight set is no exception.

I mean, look at them. They're all glitters!

All of these swatches have 1 coat of Deborah Lippmann Addicted to Speed. The glitters that could be layered were layered over one coat of  Illamasqua Boosh and two coats of NARS Ecume.






Deborah Lippmann Blinded by the Light is a clear base with silver and holo sequins and microglitter.











Deborah Lippmann Champage Supernova is a peachy pink base with the same glitter as Blinded by the Light. This is perfection over white. I bet it would look even better over a white jelly.










Deborah Lippmann Cosmic Love is a pink jelly base with gold, purple, and pink holo hexes. Definitely my favorite glitter of the bunch. I can't wait to make a jelly sammich with this!










Deborah Lippmann Fantastic Voyage is a blue jelly base with gold, blue, and silver hexes. There is also some blue microglitter in this one. Another love for me.

3 coats

Deborah Lippmann Lost in Space is shimmery blue base with holo hexes. This dries matte and lumpy, but with some patience and some top coat, Lost in Space looks absolutely stunning.

3 coats

Deborah Lippmann Twilight Tone is a black shimmery base with holo hexes. The black version of Lost in Space. Same story here. It takes a little manipulation to get it to not look lackluster.





The formula of the glitter bombs was what you would expect from a polish packed with glitter. A bit clumpy, and they need to be dabbed on rather than painted on. Blinded by the Light and Champagne Supernova were less dense than Fantastic Voyage and Cosmic Love.



The matte shades were a bit tricky to apply because they dried really quickly, and the glitter has a tendency to clump. None of these are especially top coat hungry.




The Deborah Lippmann Starlight set retails for $49 and is available at deborahlippmann.com

Finally! Urban Decay is doing full sized (well, kinda - they're 9ml) nail polish again. I'm not even annoyed that both of the shades they released are dupeable. I hope this is just the beginning of an expansive range of awesome shades.



Anyway, today I have an Urban Decay Vice swatch and comparison for you.

2 coats

Urban Decay Vice is a deep purple with red and blue microshimmer. It's a really gorgeous color. The application was a breeze, and Vice has great opacity. You could get away with one coat, if you're careful.





For this comparison, I pulled the first two deep purples that came to my head - NARS Purple Rain and Illamasqua Baptiste. In hindsight, I probably should have chosen cheaper nail polishes. If you're looking for cheaper alternatives, Zoya Yasmeen and China Glaze Let's Groove look pretty close based on bottle comps.

2 coats each of Illamasqua Baptiste, Urban Decay Vice, and NARS Purple Rain

Purple Rain and Vice are quite similar, except Vice has a slight dusty quality to it. Baptiste is darker and cooler than the others. I'd say, if you already own Purple Rain, you can skip Vice. However, Baptiste and Vice are different enough to own both, in my opinion.



Urban Decay Vice retails for $15 and is available at Ulta.

I have a few swatches that I either can't dedicate a full post to or are part of a collection that I've neglected to finish swatching. I figured I'd share them with you before I forget about them completely.

2 coats

Color Club Angel Kiss is part of the 2012 Halo Hues collection. It's a pretty light blue with a killer flame. Remember the holo drought? For years, companies would release weak, scattered holos, holo glitter, and even flakies and call them holographic. What a frustrating time! I'm so happy we have strong, linear holos that are easily accessible.

3 coats

Essie Secret Story is a midtone pink jelly. I randomly picked this up on clearance and was pleasantly surprised when I found out it's a jelly! Don't you love that? Secret Story's easy application was just a cherry on top.

3 coats

Here's an unnamed franken that I found while reorganizing my stash a couple months ago. I know it contains Wet n Wild Nocturnal and Cover Girl Ice Slicks Anti Freeze, but I'm not sure what else is involved. I only made a mini bottle, but I wish I'd made more. I love it!

2 coats

American Apparel Neon Red is more coral than Neon Coral is, in my opinion. I love the AA neons because they apply so well and don't require white undies.

4 coats

Verity Deep Violet is a purple jelly that should be in everyone's collection. It's gorgeous! However, I don't think my bottle is as pigmented as others because I see all these posts with 2 coats and no VNL, and I'm like...what? 4 coats later, my Deep Violet mani still showed VNL. I don't mind, though. It's perfect for jelly sandwiches.

2 coats

Illamasqua Charisma, how I love thee. It's a gorgeous cranberry raspberry hybrid with a flash of gold. It also has red shimmer sprinkled through it. I know people say Essie Swing Velvet is a dupe, and I even bought that one to satisfy my lemming for Charisma. It didn't quench my thirst, though, and I ended up buying Charisma anyway. I wouldn't say they're dead on dupes, but they're definitely similar. I prefer Charisma.





That's all, folks!

Do you have any colors you love a lot but maybe aren't the most flattering on you? That's Orly Glowstick for me.

2 coats over Illamasqua Scorch

Orly Glowstick is...ridiculous. No color description necessary. The formula is great for a neon. It's not at all streaky, so applying over white is a piece of cake.



So yeah, Glowstick looks absolutely awful on me, but I couldn't care less. It's just too awesome to purge. I actually can't wait to wear it again.



Also, side note: Illamasqua Scorch is the best white I've tried so far. It bumped Finger Paints Paper Mache from first place.

3 coats

Illamasqua Raindrops is a light grey with pearly flecked shimmer. This isn't the same as the original Raindrops (I ordered it from Sephora.com); it lacks the jelly finish that gives this polish real depth. I'm not a fan. A light grey creme diluted with clear and Sally Hansen Glass Slipper would make a great substitute, I bet.



Raindrops definitely won't be staying in my stash.

If you haven't seen my review of Illamasqua Venous yet, check it out here.

Misa Dirty Sexy Money, Illamasqua Venous, Barielle Sweet Addiction

2 coats of each

No dupes here! Misa Dirty Sexy Money is similar, but it's not as vibrant and has a touch more green than Illamasqua Venous. Barielle Sweet Addiction's difference are obvious.



I'd say they are different enough to own all three, but if I had to choose one, it would definitely be Illamasqua Venous.

Illamasqua Superstition is a new shade that appears to be a Sephora exclusive. Harem, Superstition, and Venous are three new shades that popped up at Sephora recently, but I haven't been able to locate them elsewhere. They are not even available on Illamasqua's website.

2 coats, no topcoat

Illamasqua Superstition is a vibrant fuchsia creme. It probably has some neon pigment in it, which would explain the satin finish.

2 coats, with topcoat

I've really been drawn to colors like this lately. I'm finding I like the way cool pinks look on me now, even though I hated them in the past. Superstition's formula is quite nice; Illamasqua rarely fails in this department.





For the comparison, I chose to stick within the brand. Illamasqua Obsess came to mind when I initially swatched Superstition, and I threw Illamasqua Stance in as a reference point.

Illamasqua Stance, Superstition, Obsess

2 coats (tc), 2 coats (tc), 3 coats (no tc)

Pause. I totally forgot how much I love Stance. It's such a fabulous polish.



Anyway, Obsess has a touch more purple than Superstition. It's like someone put a few drops of Stance into a bottle of Superstition. I think they're different enough to own both, but I'm also insane, so take that with a grain of salt. For what it's worth, SO couldn't tell the difference between Obsess and Superstition.



Illamasqua Superstition retails for $14 and is available at Sephora.

2 coats, no tc

Illamasqua Venous is a slightly dusty green creme with a touch of blue. It's seriously stunning! I love the color, but the formula is what excited me the most. It applied effortlessly. I almost never cleanup for swatches anyway, but there was absolutely nothing to cleanup even if I wanted to. It also dried super shiny. I love Illa's formula in general, but Venous just seems to have an even better formula. I'm a happy camper.



Here's Venous next to Illamasqua Muse, as a point of reference.

Muse, Venous

Illamasqua Venous retails for $14 and is available at Sephora.

I've decided to take a new approach to my stash chronicles. To better benefit you (and me), I've decided to take better, closeup bottle pictures of my entire stash. Of course, this is a project that will probably be never-ending, but I think it will eventually be a great resource. I also hope to have everything swatched one day...



Of course it's easier to start small, so here are my relatively teeny Illamasqua and NARS collections

Illamaqua Milf, Nomad, Muse, Rampage

Illamasqua Jo'Mina, Force (faded), Phallic, Baptiste

Illamasqua Load, Purity, Lament, Collide, Stance

NARS Pokerface, Jungle Red, Purple Rain

NARS Bad Influence, Desperado, Zulu, Galion

NARS Ecume, Orgasm, Versailles, Kismet

NARS Candy Darling, Arabesque, Chinatown, Saratoga

I am overwhelmed by both my stash and the amount of untried polishes I have, so I am starting what is bound to be a difficult, tedious polish purge.



To make this process slightly more fun, I am introducing a new blog series called Purge Wars. Here's the premise: each week, three polishes from the same color family will enter the purge arena. However, only two (or maybe one if things get crazy) will make it out un-purged. Got it? Awesome!



This week is the battle of the pink corals. Who will be the victors?








First up, Deborah Lippmann Daytripper

3 coats

Daytripper sort of has an advantage because it's a Lippmann! Not to mention, it's a squishy creme. Two qualities for which I am a major hoor. No question that this is a gorgeous polish. Daytripper was also a dream to apply. It self-leveled and didn't run or streak.



Next up, Illamasqua Lament.

3 coats

Lament is a full creme. It almost has a neon quality to it - so pretty and fun. The formula was less than desirable. Lament was a bit thick and difficult to control. I never cleanup for swatches, so you can tell how poorly a polish applied by how messy my cuticle gap is. It's really nothing a bit of thinner can't solve, though.



Finally, American Apparel Pink Ladies

2 coats

Pink Ladies is probably my favorite shade of the bunch. It's a full creme, and it is slightly warmer and more subdued than the others. The formula is kind of similar to Lament's, but slightly thinner.





Battle casualty: So long, Illamasqua Lament. I hardly knew ye!

3 coats

Illamasqua Nomad is an interesting hybrid of pistachio green and jade. It's a color for which I couldn't even begin to think of a dupe. Does this mean I just don't own enough greens? *plots to go shopping* Anyway, Nomad is a gorgeous creme!



The formula on this is...bearable. A little thick and streaky, a third coat was needed to even things out. The wear was great! My mani of 1 coat of Butter London Nail Foundation, 3 coats of Nomad, and 1 coat of Butter London Hardwear lasted 4 days without a chip or noticeable tipwear. Not too shabby.



Despite the less than perfect formula, I would still put this in the must-have category.



Illamasqua Nomad retails for £13.50 at Illamasqua and $14 at Sephora.

2 coats

2 coats

The sun is not my friend today. I seriously waited until the last possible minute to leave for class, hoping the sun would show up. Of course 10 minutes into my drive, out comes the sun! So, today I have some phone pictures to share with you.





How gorgeous is this! This is one coat of Man of La Manch layered over Illamasqua Baptiste. It's very thin, so I'm not sure how many coats it would take for full opacity on its own.



Man of La Mancha is from the Holiday on Broadway 2003 collection. Despite its über discontinued status, it's still pretty affordable on eBay.